The Los Angeles Lakers have hired now former agent Rob Pelinka as their next General Manager
The Los Angeles Lakers stunned the NBA world today when they made a series of front office-changing moves two days before the NBA trade deadline. Team owner Jeanie Buss fired her brother from Executive President of Basketball Operations, and Mitch Kupchak from General Manager. In their place she hired former Lakers Point Guard Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations.
The two told media today that they were going to take part in an extensive search to fill the General Manager position, but that was clearly posturing as they’ve already found a new GM.
Rob Pelinka, an agent, has been offered the position of GM by the Lakers. This move happened quickly and was likely the plan all along, but to become GM Pelinka had to remove himself as agent of multiple players first. As soon as Pelinka is finished with that he will become General Manager of the Lakers according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Lakers are finalizing a multi-year agreement with agent Rob Pelinka as general manager, league sources tell @TheVertical. He'll start soon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 21, 2017
This is an interesting move by the Lakers. Pelinka has a lot of personal relationships with current players, including James Harden, and this might increase Los Angeles’ chances at going back to the “Laker way” of signing high-profile free agents. Pelinka certainly has the basketball smarts to succeed at the position and it’ll be interesting to see what his vision is for the Lakers.
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Today’s moves by Los Angeles quite frankly were ridiculous. Removing the Executive President and GM days before the trade deadline is one thing, but every comment about why the move was made has clearly pointed to one thing: Jeanie and Magic believe they can bring back the Lakers’ “glory days” and have an infatuation with the long dead Lakers Mystique.
Magic is already in charge, and the two have mentioned multiple times they want to bring Kobe back. Pelinka can be successful as the Lakers GM, but he has to be willing to tell his higher-ups at moments that they have to do things his way. If not, then the meddlesome pair up top could be his downfall.